Abstergo Diaries
by HaresAndHallows
Summary: Tania is an Abstergo Agent-in-training with huge ambitions. After training through the multiplayer and earning access to the Inner Sanctum, will she be able to understand the truths put before her, and ultimately take her place within the Templar ranks? Rated T for language and violence. Will eventually tie in with the AC3 moderns storyline. Main character is OC.


**NOTE: I do not own the Assassin's Creed series**.

**Abstergo Diaries**

With a soft whir of the Animus, Tania flickered to the present, blue eyes wide and alert. Her latest training session had ended, placing her second amongst the ranks of her fellow agents, but Tania was competitive, and she was in grasping distance of rank number one. "We're finished up here now, Tania, so feel free to meet the other agents for lunch" prompted the uniformed employee, shutting down the bulky sci-fi machine. Tania slipped off of the glowing blue bench, replacing the dazed Animus-immersion look with a grin of smug confidence, the apples of her cheeks still flushed with the excitement of the session.

As she approached the pristine canteen, Tania could hear the whoops and cries of her fellow team mates. Some cheered on the victor, whilst some grumbled their discontentment, having lost another Wanted game. No one noticed her until she was in the centre of the room, holding a dinner tray laden with fresh fruit and vegetables. Upon seeing her, Michael howled with laughter, clearly pleased with the fight Tania had put up earlier. "So the bitch DOES bite!" he reminded himself, shifting along the bench for her. Michael was one of the most popular Agents-in-training at Abstergo, with broad, tanned shoulders and dark chestnut hair, he drew a lot of attention from the other female Agents, but Tania never let it get in the way of her goal to be number one. For this reason, she had become Michael's favourite.

Tania laughed, basking in the attention she was receiving from her training sector. "I loved that trick with the poison, Tania. How did I not notice it?" asked one of the Agents, eager for her approval. Tania shrugged her shoulders, her long, blonde ponytail swaying with the movement. "I guess it's about patience and restraint. You have to pick the right time otherwise you might get noticed." She advised, looking to Michael for confirmation, who was smiling in agreement. Silence fell across the canteen as the sector began eating their lunch, the occasional crunching of food echoing around the hall. Nimbly, Tania snuck an apple from Michael's tray, her small hands deft and swift as she brought the fruit back to her mouth. "Oh, no you don't" Michael cursed, wrapping a muscular arm around her waist in an attempt to restrain her from further eating the apple. Tania squealed; legs kicking under the table as Michael prised the apple from her hands, a look of pure concentration on his face.

"Can you not?" muttered Annie, who was sat at the opposite end of the table.

"Aw, c'mon, Annie. We were just having a joke, is all." Soothed Tania, shuffling away from Michael with a sheepish smile plastered across her heart-shaped face. Abruptly, the crisp voice of an Abstergo attendee filled the hall, her voice dripping with monotony. "Would all agents in Sector D please return to their Animus units? We are ready for the next Wanted session."

Michael shot Annie an apologetic look before turning back towards Tania, a cunning smile already creeping across his stubbled jaw. "Ready for round two, Princess?" he taunted, using The Hessian's familiar salute. "You betcha," replied Tania, crooking her finger like The Lady Maverick as a mischievous smile played cross her bee-stung lips.

* * *

Tania returned to her Animus, psyching herself up for the battle to come. _I will beat Michael this time_, she promised herself. With a press of a button, Tania was planted into the simulation, filling the body of The Lady Maverick with her own consciousness and testing her movements. After a few seconds, the Agents were placed into the map. _The Virginian Plantation_, mused Tania, _I've got this one in the bag._ The Animus had decided Annie was her first target, so she followed the dial until it was a bright blue, glowing in her eye-line. Annie was stood in a crowd, playing as Alsoomse, The Independent. Locking on, Tania walked past the group, slipping Annie some poison on her way. The Independent started choking, gripping on to her neck as if it would slow down the toxic liquid flowing through her system. Turning back towards her target, Tania shook her hips, mocking the defeated Agent.

It had been five minutes into the game and she still not had seen the familiar face of Michael's character, the ridged, uniformed soldier who wielded a cruel rifle. Tania was starting to worry. She was in second place after halting the attempts of a low level Agent, stunning them in the process. As Tania explored the map, waiting for her next target to be revealed, she heard the faint whispers of an approaching enemy. _This is it_, she worried, _this is Michael_. Every so often she looked over her shoulder, but she did not stop moving. The dust she kicked up fluttered around her swaying dress, its soft fabric gentle against her toned legs. The next time she looked back, she saw him. Tania was unsure of how long he had been following her, but the confidence in his stride did not look like that of an AI.

Discreetly, Tania wandered towards the glowing break-gates, setting up her escape. She knew Michael was too clever not to notice this as his walk sped up by a fraction, so she mimicked his movements, eager for safety. Hastily, Tania broke into a sprint and hurled through the gates, hearing the warning alarms of Michaels pursuit. The clattering of roof tiles sounded behind her, so she rounded a corner and flicked on her disguise, slowing down to a relaxed pace. Tania's relief was cut short when Michael came barrelling around the corner, head down like a charging bull. _I'm not going down without a fight_; Tania assured herself, ready to fend off the inevitable attack. Just as she was about to throw down a smoke bomb when a flash of green light blocked her defence. _God dammit_, Tania cursed, parrying the onslaught of attacks from Michael. It was too late. Tania gave Michael one last punch to the nose before being speared by the bayonet, her vision blurring as the world around her crumbled.

"1 minute remaining" droned the Animus instructor, the seconds of the clock clicking down. This time her target was a newer Agent, and Tania felt confident she could take him down. The man in question was milling around the manor house, _too involved in pursuing someone else_, Tania guessed. 30 seconds remaining. As fast as she could, Tania scrambled along the side of the house, careful so that the Agent didn't see her. When she reached the roof of the majestic house, Tania spotted Michael watching her from an opposing rooftop, though he made no move to attack her. _Bastard_, Tania seethed, looking back over the edge of the house. Her target had stopped, watching his own target from within a group of AIs. As her points meter cranked up to Incognito, Tania locked on to her target and pounced like a lioness, her corset a blur of green against the skyline. Tania grinned as the corpse of her target faded away; waiting for the sing-song voice of the Animus instructor to declare that she had taken the lead.

The announcement never came.

The match ended and Tania was lifted from her sleep, bitter and filled with rage. Without sparing any time, Tania leapt from the Animus and slammed open the glass door of her cubical, the chiming of breaking glass behind her. With her usually gentle face filled with thunder, Tania stormed over to the opposite side of her row and ripped open the door to Michael's cubicle, where he was chatting with his attendee.

"What the FUCK do you think you're playing at?" Tania screamed, using all her restraint not to fly at him. Instead she gritted her teeth, tears pooling at the corners of her bright, blue eyes.

"Jeez, Tania, it's training. We're meant to compete, what was I supposed to do?"

In the corner of the room, the attendant hid behind Michael, using his muscular bulk as shelter against Tania's fury.

"I worked so hard, Michael. So damned hard, and you swatted me away like it was nothing. It's just not fair." Tania whined, her shoulders slumping as the weight of her defeat pulled her down. Gingerly, Michael stepped away from the fretting attendant and pulled Tania into a bear hug, resting his chin on the top of her somewhat dishevelled head of hair. Tania was sniffling now, releasing her disappointment in a stream of tears.

After some moments, Michael lifted his head and pressed a soft kiss on Tania's forehead, offering the best comfort he could. "Keep training, squirt. You'll win first place in no time." He reassured her, stepping back to give her some space. Embarrassed, Tania wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her jacket, those once crystal blue eyes now tinged red with strain and emotion. Offering a weak smile, Tania walked back towards the canteen where the other Agents had surely gathered.

"Second again, I see" sniped Annie, a threatening gleam in her eyes.

"Where was it you finished, Annie? Oh yeah, fifth." Tania countered, stepping closer towards Annie.

"I'm just surprised Michael didn't hold back. You know, to give you a chance? We all know you're his favourite." Annie spat, jealousy tinging every word.

"I don't need any chances from anybody, especially Michael."

Behind them, many of the other Agents had grown quiet and restless, their conversation halted by the argument. Over on another table, a few Abstergo employees had looked up from their work, cold eyes watching the action unfold before them, making no attempts to separate the two hot-headed "team mates." Above them, a droning voice broke the tension, ordering Sector D to meet in the conference room. By that time, Michael had joined them, sharing a curious glance at Tania before leading everyone into the office where a long table was lined with cold, hard chairs, causing the seated Agents to shuffle about uncomfortably. At the end of the table stood a man in a long, white coat. His back was rigidly straight, and his steely grey eyes were surrounded by deep wrinkles. It appeared that Michael already knew this man, murmuring "Mr Vidic" with a slight nod before sitting down beside Tania.

"I've been looking through the report for this sector, and have decided that there are some changes I'd like to make." Claimed Vidic, hands crossed against his chest. His eyes searching the curious faces of each of the Agents before settling on Tania, his gaze locked in a piercing stare she could not escape from. Gulping, Tania held the stare. She had a feeling this was a test. Finally, Vidic cleared his throat and began speaking again, much to her relief.

"Glancing through each of your reports, I have noticed certain consistencies that need to be rewarded." There it was again, that gripping stare focused on Tania, and Tania alone.

"Tania, I understand you've been occupying second place for a while now?" Hesitantly, she nodded, unsure of what was about to happen.

"And I have been told that you're quite eager to overtake Michael, is that correct?" Vidic questioned further. Sheepishly, Tania smiled, nodding in agreement. Moments seemed like minutes as Vidic pondered, his silence unsettling everyone but Michael.

"That settles it then. Tania, you have been promoted to the same rank as Michael. You will have advanced treatments, private training sessions and regular meetings with me." ordered Vidic, his voice taking on a commanding tone. "The rest of you must keep working. Michael, you know what to do. Show Tania the inner sanctum."

On Vidic's orders, Tania and Michael stood up and left the conference room. As soon as they were out the door, Tania leapt on Michael in a tight embrace, her gratitude unspoken and understood. Pulling away, Tania saw a sly smile stretch across Michael's face. _He had known all along. _

"So where are we going?" Tania asked.

"The inner sanctum" replied Michael, taking her hand in his.

With that small gesture, Michael led Tania into her new life; a polished ring set on his finger, upon it the small red cross of the Templars.

* * *

**So this is the first chapter! Please don't forget to review, constructive criticism would be most helpful.**

**I should be getting Chapter 2 finished and publish soon, so if you enjoyed this fic, you can always follow it! Thank you :)**


End file.
